Cross-Post: Cannes 2012: The Stories Aren’t By Women but They’re About Women

By
Sasha Stone
|
Women and HollywoodMay 20, 2012 at 12:00PM

It’s hard not to notice sexism when it is everywhere. After dealing with a person named Chris for three years trying to find lodging in Cannes I was stunned to find out that Chris was a woman. I’d assumed she was a man and all of this time I thought I was communicating with a man. I trusted “him” that he wouldn’t rip me off, that he knew what he was doing — and once I discovered “he” was a “she” I had to rethink my expectations. Suddenly I worried whenever the wi-fi went out that “she” wouldn’t know how to fix it.

The second film I saw today again turned on its female characters’ storylines. Beyond the Hills (Dupa Dealuri) is the second feature by Cristian Mungiu, who rose to prominence with the much lauded 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days. Like that film, Beyond the Hills feels destined for controversy. For the last two years in Cannes there have been several pro-religion, pro-god movies that are, frankly, a chore to sit through if you aren’t a believer. But Mungiu’s film is anything but.

The story centers on a passionate “friendship” between two teenage girls which comes under strife when one of them turns to the church. She becomes a nun and takes God into her heart as her one and only love. Her friend has a problem with this. She wants things to be the way they once were. Sex between them is alluded to but never directly confirmed. Once Alina (Cristina Flutur) figures out that her friend Voichita (Cosmina Stratan) is never going to leave the church, her behavior becomes more and more violent. Finally, the father of the church decides to perform an exorcism on her to get rid of Satan’s grasp.

Unfortunately, by the time we finally get to the exorcism, the film has gone on at least an hour too long. Had they shaved off some of the beginning we might be more inclined to get wrapped up in this story. However, if you are a non-believer you will find it satisfying that the film has decided to take on faith versus science.

Beyond the Hills was the first film at Cannes to receive boos — and yes, perhaps the audience were expecting something better but as far as films in general go, the selection committee did right by choosing this complicated story for the Cannes competition.

Two extraordinary films that had more to say from the mouths of their female characters than all of the films I saw last year. Here, at this festival, the films are not judged on their potential marketability but what it is they attempt to say. While many of the films do not fall into the conventional Hollywood norm, and may never make a dime, their inclusion in this festival shows that the people making the important decisions here really do consider more important elements of what a film potential might be. When you are here, the possibilities are endless. Cannes is the best place for dreams to thrive.